JP2590297Y2 - Light source device - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a light source device which can be used in a light source section of an interference microscope using a plurality of light wavelengths.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 2, a light source section of a conventional interference type microscope supplies a driving current to a laser 2 from a laser driving section 1 to oscillate the laser 2, thereby emitting the laser 2. The divergent light beam is converted into a parallel light beam by the collimating lens 3. The parallel luminous flux is converted into a luminous flux having a sufficient diameter corresponding to the aperture of the condensing lens for condensing the illumination light on the sample. In an interference microscope, an interference fringe is formed using the parallel light beam created by the light source unit. Since the interval between the interference fringes is の of the wavelength λ of the laser beam, if there is one laser 2 as shown in FIG. The stripes are of one type.

However, when there are a plurality of parameters (temperature and concentration) to be measured, such as when observing the distribution of the temperature and concentration inside the liquid sample from the change in the refractive index, two parameters are used for a single wavelength. Effects cannot be measured separately.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, two types of lasers 4 and 5 having different wavelengths are driven independently of each other in accordance with a required interval between interference fringes to emit a laser beam, and the laser beam is emitted. It is considered that the light is converted into parallel light by the corresponding collimating lens 6 or 7 and then guided to the same optical path by the dichroic mirror 8. In this light source section, the corresponding laser 4 or 5 is oscillated by the corresponding laser drive section 9 or 10 each time the interference fringe is switched.

According to such a light source unit, for example, in an interference microscope, it is possible to observe while switching interference fringes at different intervals by a plurality of light beams having different wavelengths. Can be used to take advantage of the difference in variance between the two changes.

[0006]

However, as shown in FIG. 4, the laser light output by driving the lasers 4 and 5 is about 5 to 10 seconds by a semiconductor laser until the light amount and wavelength are stabilized. Therefore, the speed at which the interference fringes are switched is not sufficient to capture a fast-moving phenomenon.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a light source device capable of reducing the time loss until the laser output is stabilized and capable of switching and outputting light beams having different wavelengths in a short time. The purpose is to:

[0008]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a light source device is provided in a single light source for generating light of a plurality of wavelengths and in a transmission area of a light beam generated from the light source. A plurality of filters for respectively selecting different wavelengths, an optical path coupling means for guiding each separated optical path selected by these filters to the same optical path, and the plurality of filters provided between the optical path coupling means and the light source; And an optical shutter that arbitrarily shields the transmission region of the wavelength selected by the above.

[0009]

According to the present invention, a plurality of light beams of a plurality of wavelengths generated from a single light source enter the optical path coupling means via optical filters provided for the plurality of filters, and are guided to a predetermined optical path. . Therefore, since a single light source is held in a stable state and light having a predetermined wavelength can be selected by a shutter, time loss until the light source output is stabilized is reduced, and wavelength switching can be performed at high speed. Become.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 shows a light source device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a white light source 40 such as a halogen lamp that emits white light including various wavelengths is used as a light source. The white light emitted from the white light source 40 is converted into a parallel light beam by the collimator lens 41. On the exit surface of the collimator lens 41, two filters 42 and 43 are arranged to face each other, dividing the surface into two. Both filters 42,
Reference numerals 43 have different wavelength ranges of transmitted light. Optical shutters 44 and 45 are disposed on the emission sides of the filters 42 and 43, respectively, and a dichroic mirror 46 is disposed on a surface facing each of the optical shutters 44 and 45.

The dichroic mirror 46 transmits a light beam incident through one of the optical shutters 44,
The light beam incident through the other optical shutter 45 is the first light beam.
The characteristics are set so that the light is reflected by the surface 46a and the second surface 46b and both are guided in the direction of the arrow.

In this embodiment constructed as described above, only half of the white light emitted from the white light source 40 and converted into a parallel light beam by the collimating lens 41 is incident on one filter 42, and only light within a wavelength range within a certain filter 42 Is extracted, and the other half of the white light enters the other filter 43 to extract light in a different wavelength range. Then, the optical filters 44 and 45 are controlled by an optical filter driving unit (not shown), and one of the two light beams having different wavelengths extracted by the filters 42 and 43 is selected.
The selected light beam enters the dichroic mirror 46 and is guided to a predetermined optical path.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the filters 42, which have different transmission characteristics for white light containing a plurality of wavelengths.
At 43, light beams having different wavelengths are extracted.
The light flux enters the dichroic mirror 46 via the optical filters 44 and 45, respectively, and is guided to the same optical path. Therefore, even if a plurality of light sources having different wavelengths are not provided, one light source can emit light with different wavelengths at high speed. Can be switched to

[0014]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the time loss until the laser output is stabilized, and to provide a light source device capable of switching and outputting light beams having different wavelengths in a short time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a light source device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a conventional light source device that cannot switch wavelengths.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a conventional light source device capable of switching wavelengths.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing laser output characteristics.

[Explanation of symbols]

40: white light source, 41: collimating lens, 42, 43
... filters, 44, 45 ... optical shutters, 46 ... dichroic mirrors.

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-61-99118 (JP, A) JP-A-63-168622 (JP, A) JP-A-1-282515 (JP, A) JP-A-60-247142 (JP) , A) JP-A-63-257102 (JP, A) JP-A-63-257103 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G02B 21/00-21/36 G02B 27/00 G02F 1/00-1/125

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A single light source for generating light of a plurality of wavelengths, a plurality of filters provided in a transmission area of a light beam generated from the light source, each of which selects a different wavelength, and selected by these filters An optical path coupling unit that guides each separated optical path to the same optical path; and an optical shutter that is provided between the optical path coupling unit and the light source and arbitrarily shields a transmission region having a wavelength selected by the plurality of filters. A light source device comprising: a light source;